I remember as a child, being stuck at a standstill during heavy traffic hours while on the way to school. I was watching youtube in the backseat when a car suddenly crashed into ours from behind. At first, I didn't register what happened until my mother called out my name. I looked up from my phone to see the airbags had deployed. I didn’t know much about car accidents since I was only a child at the time, but seeing the airbags sent a pang of dread through me.I always saw the warnings about airbags and how airbags were only deployed when something dangerous happened. So seeing the airbags suddenly pop out at my mother’s face scared me. I felt like crying at the thought of my mother being hurt, but instead I just sat there in shock. Maybe I was waiting for my mother to say that she was fine even if the car was wrecked. I loved my mother too much to lose her, and I didn’t understand anything other the fear that jolted through my body at the time of the collision.


Eventually, my mother was able to reassure me that she wasn’t hurt as she struggled to get out of the car to check up on me. She sounded irritated, but the relief I felt the moment she lifted me into her arms made me burst into tears. As I eventually calmed down, a Firetruck pulled into the lane across from my mother’s car. After looking at the damages, the First Responder approached my mother to ask about what happened while I assessed the back of our damaged vehicle. The airbags had deflated, and I thought to myself that the back of the car looked like a discarded piece of paper. A voice brings me out of my thoughts, the First Responder was speaking to me, I instantly shrunk back into my mother’s embrace. I used to be a shy child so my mom always spoke up for me, but she was too focused on the accident at the time to notice. After making sure I wasn’t injured, he began to ask me questions to distract me from the gravity of the situation. He was polite enough for me to quickly warm up to him. As I began to verbally answer him, he became more cheerful, and he even gifted me a green elephant to take to school after he made sure the car was safe to drive.

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Fortunately, my mother and I made it out unscathed, but I can’t say the same for a lot of people on the road. This accident could have taken a catastrophic turn if he had been going any faster than he already was. That is how dangerous a vehicle can be when someone is not taking the correct precautions. I’m sure he didn’t mean to ram into us, but that doesn’t negate the fact that he did, which could’ve seriously injured me or my mom.


That situation has always stuck with me as I began learning how to drive. I didn’t understand why people drifted off or didn’t pay attention while they were on the road. It was as simple as being aware and if the person driving were paying attention then he wouldn’t have hit us so hard from behind. As I studied for my test, I realized that awareness has always been an important part of getting behind the wheel, and with so many lessons put in place to make sure you are aware of yourself and your vehicle. How could that guy have made such a big mistake?
Was he too busy looking at his phone or maybe he worked throughout the night and was too lethargic to notice how fast he was going? All of those questions arose as soon as I was handed my permit. Even if there was some kind of reason as to why he wasn’t aware at the moment, taking the life of someone else is too heavy of a burden to bear just because he wasn't paying attention. I decided then that I would make sure to not make the same mistake that person made. As I studied, it became clear to me that by keeping my eyes on the road at all times, it would help me prepare for if something unexpected were to happen.


In conclusion, knowing how to control your vehicle and being aware of how your actions can affect others on the road is essential for being a responsible driver. I will always make sure that I am paying attention to myself and others around me to ensure that I stay accident free for as long as I am on the road.